The Short Order: Chef Tony Maw's Guide to Cambridge

Each week for The Short Order, our favorite chefs give us their personal guide to the breakfast joints, bars, and restaurants worth pulling the car over for in the cities they love. This week: Craigie on Main chef Tony Maws reveals the Cambridge spots the locals go to for the kind of unpretentious, soulful food that's come to rival the best in Boston

"This place is old-school, literally. The owner, Armando, is a grandfather, and all the way down to the grandson they’re still making pizza. I walked in one time and saw the grandson yelling at his cousin because he wasn’t doing it the way Armando taught them. It’s just pizza made right, with good ingredients, and there’s always a line."

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2. Sapporo Ramen

1815 Massachusetts Avenue, (617) 876-4805

"Porter Exchange is an old building now owned by Lesley University but, inside, there’s a little Japanese eatery that has half-a-dozen tiny food stalls. It’s worth seeking out. My favorite is the Ramen Noodle place’s Spicy Miso Ramen. Ten dollars gets you a big bowl of soup, some pork, and awesome vegetables."

"Savenor’s is this great butcher shop and market where anyone can get really high quality local meats—it’s the same stuff I cook with at my restaurant. It’s sustainable, well-raised, and they have something special in every cut."

"Green Street is a solid joint to have in the hood. They do a great job with their beer and cocktail list. They’re very active in changing their selections; I go once every week or two, and there’s always a surprise on the menu. It’s right in Central Square, so it’s convenient to everything."

"The Druid is a teeny Irish bar in Inman Square in a non-touristy part of Cambridge. It’s honest, no frills; it’s Guinness. There’s a sort of hospitality and sincerity you get in an Irish pub, you know? There are a lot of populations in this world that consider themselves professional drinkers, but the Irish do it their way, and it comes across as so sincere. If you’re not trying to be a part of a scene, this is a good place to go for a drink."

"Christina’s is two side-by-side shops: The one on the right is an ice cream store and the one on the left is a spice market. I go there to walk around and get ideas for cooking. They have smoked salts, paprikas, chilis, and a lot of other things that you’ve never heard of. My son Charlie has a thing for the mango ice cream."

"Central Bottle is a wine store just across the way from our restaurant. Their wine philosophy and the suppliers they buy from are very much in line with what we do at Craigie on Main. They stock a lot of artisanal and off-the-beaten-path labels. There’s nothing generic about it, but the staff is not pretentious, either, and they’re really eager to help."

"Barry Maiden is the chef and owner of this restaurant, and he was one of Food Wine’s best new chefs for it. He keeps it small and honest, doing his own version of simple, delicious Southern food. I get the fried green tomatoes every time I go. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu."

Pictured: Warm beef tongue on toast with Dijon and Robinson Family Swiss

"New Deal Fish Market is a little family-owned market that my wife routinely shops at on Cambridge Street in East Cambridge. It’s not in a glitzy neighborhood; it’s in the everyday USA part of Cambridge. It’s awesome: they have great fish, which they turn over regularly, so there’s always new stuff to be found."